Illusion
by Yami Nocturna
Summary: White-haired guardian of Realm of Death. One insane assassin, the other assassin of order. Dead desert. Manipulative CEO. The world isn't what you believed it to be. What is lurking around, trying to destroy those, who seemingly share no connection.
1. Prologue

**_08.08.04 – _**_It's 03:00 AM, and I'm not going to sleep at all, damn, 5 cups of coffee already, and I didn't eat at all, only breakfast in the morning. I must get myself at least some buttertoast… lol, and I'm writing another story. Wow, my first non-crossover fic, **ever! **LOL._

_Warning: Shonen-ai (boy x boy pairings)  
Confusion especially about the whole plotline  
Minor OOC, and those **are **explained, well, you don't know **exactly **why the characters are this way… but all I can say, that it'll make in the sense._

**Oh yeah, NO OCs !! As in Mary Sues or Larry Stues. Or OC/Yuugiou character pairings!**

**For all those who wish to be kept updated for the latest news about any of my stories, or use another website for checking them I've not now my own fanfiction website, featuring my fanfics, he-he.**

**http:www.illusionary-dreams.tk**

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_'Journey far beyond the atmosphere.  
Watch the world behind you disappear.  
Float inside a microscopic cell.  
Is this dream a heaven or a hell?'_

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**Prologue**

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He stood there calmly, the cold wind ruffling his long white hair, tanned skin dry, but smooth. Lavender eyes watched calmly around the mist, but he didn't look placid. He looked as a bomb, that was ticking, waiting till the countdown would end. He still stood, his eyes had closed, and if one paid close attention he or she would see the eyebrows slightly twitching. He got one hand out of the pocket, and reached out in the air in front of him. A scythe formed, long and black in its color and he took it.

Footsteps resonated around in the air. It was always like this, whenever came to this place, to Acheron, he heard it before they began to make the real noise. The mists cleared and he saw the intruder. His eyes narrowed, the intruder didn't look like someone from around here. A long black cloak of a smooth material and long robes. Black straight hair fell to his back smoothly in waves, unlike his own spiky white hair. Dark green eyes shone with something he couldn't quite pinpoint.

"You are trespassing into the realm of Hades!" said the man with the scythe calmly taking one step forwards, his long black cloak swishing as he did so. The black-haired one didn't say a thing, but he smirked, and shivers went down the white-haired's spine. He never heard something like that. High-pitched, it didn't promise anything good.

"What does it matter, guardian? Hades won't exist anymore. Souls will never gain admittance to the Realm of Dead, and Mangard shall be overflowed with the dead…" he didn't speak, his lips didn't move, but the words echoed around this area of Hades. The white-haired guardian looked around, the souls of those, who were not accepted to go across the river started appearing. In the background Cerberus howled in despair and then it shook.

The guardian of Acheron, and the ferryman shuddered. But then a flame lit up in his eyes, as he glared at the one responsible for it. Dark eyes flashed cold silver and he whispered an incantation and lashed with his scythe, driving the blade into the ground. The scythe glowed, and a crack with light coming from it went straight at the black-haired man, it burst out in a wall of light from beneath him. Destructive. Tearing apart… it tore him apart from inside.

He fell, but he laughed. He laughed maniacally. And this time opening his mouth. His voice low and raspy. "Foolish Charon. Hades is falling apart. I shall join our creator, great Ymir soon, but you Charon won't have a place to go!! You shall fall along with Hades!" The laughter turned more insane and finally it died out. Lavender eyes stared emotionlessly down at the one, who lied on the ground lifeless. Ymir…

The floor shook and he leaned onto the handle of his scythe, in an attempt to keep his balance. He had to get out. And get out quick! He cast a glance at the one dead and said then, "Fool, and my name is Bakura." He pulled out a deck of tarot cards and up were they thrown, the same moment that rocky stones fell from above. They cards landed in a circle around him, and other cards formed a star. Bakura cast a glance around. It was true. Hades was falling apart.

"Leap…" he whispered crossing his arms on his chest, as the circle of cards glowed and a wall of violet light appeared around him. And he disappeared, into thin air, just the same moment the Realm of Hades had disappeared. Burst apart and disappeared, like data disappears once erased. And Bakura was warped to another world, where he would be safe, as long as the fates didn't mind him abandoning his duties.

He groaned and spit out the ground from his mouth. He had fallen from the sky, literally, he had no time to make up a decision about the destination, so here he was in the middle of nowhere. He rolled over onto his back and looked up. It was night here. That was… wherever he did end up. The ground was sandy, in fact, he lied on sand. Bakura sat up slowly, trying to ignore the dull pain in his head. Of course, he, Charon, broke the rules and exited Hades, but if he had stayed he would have died. Torn apart along with the realm of Hades.

Finally his eyesight got clear and his head didn't hurt. As he guessed, the fates had other things to do that punish a servant. Bakura looked around, he was in a desert. It was slightly chilly, but if he was right it would be literally as in the Phlegethon. It could be even worse. But first, he would have to find out where he was, and when he was. The tarot cards, which always appeared in the small leather bag after being used, attached to the belt holding his robes, were once again pulled out and Bakura whispered, "North."

The cards formed an arrow in the air, pointing in the North, but Bakura didn't go there, he looked at the sky. Trying to remember, the constellations that could point to North. He searched the sky and finally found it. "Draco constellation, I guess, I'm around three-thousand years before Christ," he muttered to himself and then sniffed the air. There was a faint scent of spices in the air, and he followed his nose. He couldn't do anything else. Well, as long as he didn't find the Gate of this world.

A string of curses broke from his mouth, as once he started climbing a dune, the sand started moving beneath his feet. The white-haired man fell back onto his rear end and growled in annoyance. Oh no, he wouldn't walk anymore. He, Bakura, could use magic to fly. Of course he was sure that he would have one terrible headache later, maybe even a migraine, but he didn't have another choice. That is if he wanted to move and not sit on one place, waiting for the day heat.

Bakura closed his eyes and his left eyebrow twitched, he stood quietly concentrating on his energy. And then, he felt it, a lump formed on his back. The lump grew and divided and burst out of the robes and the skin, showering the sand behind him with tatters and blood. Two black wings, like by a bat, unfolded and blood still dripped down from them, as Bakura stretched them out. It's been a while since he used his wings.

Quite a while actually. It hurt, it was as if something burning hot was dragged across his back, through the bones. He was burning up. But then again, he was not going to show it. 'As if I ever did it…' he thought gloomily and with one powerful flap from the raven black wings he was raised from the desert ground, the sand flying up in the whirlwind of his wings flaps, creating a small sandstorm.

And he ascended, and ascended. There was less air the higher he flew, but he wanted to see the landscape. To know where he was. Higher and higher. If he smelt spices, spices so rare, it meant that civilization was near? But where was he anyways? China? Mesopotamia? Egypt? He couldn't remind any other old civilizations and he continued. Now not only his bones and skin were burning from pain, his throat was getting dryer. He didn't have much time left floating so high up. One quick glance was cast around. He wanted to float down, that was until he saw one lone pyramid, it was far, but he saw it. He wasn't exactly human after all.

But what most puzzled him was the complete lack of living beings around here, just that pyramid and the scent of spices coming from there. He floated lower to catch his breath and think about finding ways to Olympia, or any place, where gods were. He had to talk about the Children if Ymir, who destroyed Hades. That plagued him as well, how exactly did they manage to do it? After all, it wasn't that simple to destroy a realm, which wasn't even for living beings.

---

The school bell rang, and everyone stood up and began hurrying off. The last bell for a long while. The summer holidays had finally started. Then the students would have to last out till winter holidays, and then till spring holidays. But either way, Marik Astarte and Yugi Mutou were gleeful that the school year finally ended. Yugi laughed and ran outside, his mischievous violet eyes were bright, and he looked up at the sun, squinting in a way that a pleased cat does.

Marik smirked watching the younger boy. There was one good thing about the holidays, they had more time to themselves and their friends. Now of course one might wonder, why would two teenagers not have time for themselves? After all, school was at morning and took a bit of the day, the rest of those 24 hours one called a day, were free. But of course you couldn't say Marik Astarte and Yugi Mutou were normal.

"So, what do we have for tonight?" asked Yugi. They had been walking for quite a while, and everyone of their friends were ahead of them, or gone home. Which gave them the opportunity to speak uninterrupted and not listened. But, even though, Marik was Yugi's partner for two years now, he still couldn't get used to the fact that someone this innocent could be that deadly.

Now of course, when one didn't look into Yugi's eyes, he or she would call him a punk, or something similar. Leather, buckles, belts, metal. This all was nicely fit into Yugi's uniform, not making it too flashy for teacher to scold him for breaking the school dressing code, but not too regular as well. And his hair, despite his attempts to explain that it was natural, few believed him. Long black hair ended with red-pink tips and golden streaks ran through his hair, and his bangs were golden as well. What was really bothering, was the way his hair stuck out. Spikes and golden streaks and bangs. Now of course anyone would get the impression, that Yugi, despite his small height, wasn't the best person to mess with. That was until one looked into his eyes. Wide and innocent.

And that was always bothering Marik. Yugi was the complete opposite of him, kind and nice, innocent in a way, but he killed much more calmly than he himself did. Yes, he killed. They were assassins. After all, how could they survive otherwise? Netjeru – that was their codename. The best assassin team, or assassin as known to most.

"I believe we have to assassinate the CEO of Kaiba Corp. Gozaburo Kaiba. The client wishes him to be dead. Which is actually quite ironic, as the client is from the military, and Gozaburo provides them the weapons. But I guess the old mad got too greedy."

Yugi nodded at Marik's words and then said, "And Seto is interested in producing computer software and virtual technologies. He would sell the weapons Kaiba Corp. has without any second thoughts, for much lower price." Marik nodded, they turned around the corner and he slowed his pace down to marvel their house. He always did it. He was proud of their house. Ok, a modest mansion. Not as the Kaibas had it, but large enough. But then again, they never failed a mission. Well, he didn't fail any mission, once he met Yugi. The boy was kind and nice, but he could shut off his mind and emotions for the time he was on a mission. He just turned on the autopilot and worked.

"How much more time do we have?" asked Yugi once he opened the gate with an ID-card. Marik cast a glance at a piece of paper, "At 6PM Gozaburo leaves his office, that would be the best time to catch him off-guard."

Yugi nodded and they walked silently to the entrance. Once inside Yugi went upside to prepare his weaponry, and change outfits. Marik cast a side-glance into the mirror. He sighed; the mask was dropped, shattering into a thousand pieces. Tired lavender eyes without pupils, dirty platinum hair sticking in every direction and tanned skin. Did he mention there were strange tattoos beneath his eyes? Well, tattoos in the form of a line going triangular (1). He tried straining his memory remembering when he got those, but he couldn't. And that wasn't something he would have forgotten. And there were scars that looked Egyptian to him, on his back. He didn't remember even that? Maybe he had been drunk, and was dared for that? He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

Finally after casting another glance into the mirror and after hearing soft footsteps – Yugi was coming down the stairs – he opened the top drawer of the mirror-stand and got out a gun and a dagger. And a bandanna to tie around his head just below his eyes. The lines were recognizable; no one else (as far as he knew) had those.

"It's four AM, come on Marik, we have to make it inside unnoticed. And be as quiet as possible, meaning no witnesses and no unnecessary victims," spoke Yugi calmly and he pulled his hair into a tight pony and a pair of sunglasses on. Marik smirked at his reflection. As always, Yugi was correct. It wasn't good to barge in without strategy. Strategy and games – those were the areas were Yugi topped everyone. He wasn't a very bright student, like Seto Kaiba, nor was he a very popular one, like Shizuka Katsuya, but he was the King of Games (as Marik dubbed him). He even beat Kaiba at chess.

And as always, it would be him the noisy one and Yugi the quiet one. He threw the dagger up and down a couple times and caught it again. "Well? Let's go."

That said the Egyptian pulled his hair into a ponytail as well, grabbed his coat and exited the front door. They would drive, as always – safety precautions. He plopped down into the black Mercedes behind the driver's seat and Yugi plopped down on the other front seat.

"Sometimes, I feel like I am in a dream," said Marik getting a cigarette out. Yugi, who opened the window on his side – he hated cigarettes, nodded and replied, "True, in a dream. Like something's amiss, right?" Marik smiled bitterly and nodded.

Amiss

Missing

We are missing something

We are missing someone?

He started the car and drove out of the driveway; their destination was the Kaiba Corp. Tower towering over all the other building in Domino City. Marik watched absentmindedly the road. Yugi was quiet, as usual. He had shut off his emotional and kind side. It wasn't his choice to be an assassin. In a way it was Marik's fault, and he regretted that, but then again some order in his insane life was nice for a change.

Marik wasn't exactly someone that normal. Someone, whom you would call to a party. He had a sadistic side. Very sadistic side. The way he trained Yugi to be one of the top-class assassins showed his true self. Relentless and cruel. Yugi, Yugi Mutou. He wondered, whether he would one of the most hired assassins, if he never met Yugi. Probably not.

He failed assignments before. He was too rushed. Yugi brought order once he made a plan. He was calm and quiet. Somehow… he managed to keep his love for the world and kindness intact. Something that Marik didn't remember having. In fact, he doubted he even knew how it felt before Yugi. He pulled up two block before the Kaiba Corp. building and both got out. Marik threw the cigarette away and both walked in silence to the skyscraper.

Even now as he noted to himself dryly, his thoughts weren't at order, collected and calm.

Mild insanity…

---

Icy-blue eyes watched with interest as two definitely male figures approached the building. One was wearing sunglasses, familiar multi-colored hair tied into a tight ponytail. The other one, with a bandanna over his face, dirty blonde hair in a ponytail. As the cloak of the one with bandanna flapped open after a burst of wind, the observer noted the cold glint of silvery-gray metal. Who would have thought, that the one who defeated him at chess, the only one, was an assassin. Netjeru at that. And the other one.

But then again it made sense. How could Marik and Yugi have a mansion at their age? Pay for it? Get the best things? Of course he suspected other things, but then again, they didn't look like prostitutes. He smirked with amusement, and watched a gray haired man do his job at a large table near the bookshelves.

Seto barely withheld himself from sneering at the fool. He looked so gullible in this old-fashioned office, while all of his workers had modern offices. He didn't even have a personal computer, not mentioning even a laptop. The man, his stepfather, such a rotten man, he would deserve death. The bastard had destroyed his childhood, constantly making him learn, and now that he was a very successful businessman, he wouldn't accept his ideas about computer and virtual technologies.

The brown-haired teenager smirked to himself and exited the office. After all, his father clearly showed him with all means possible, that the discussion was over. He closed the door, casting one last glance at the man. He was not in a hurry. Slowly he walked down ignoring everyone. In front of the gates to the garage he paused. And the he heard shots. One glance was cast at the watch. His father was dead. He was the new CEO. And the assassins would get a nice payment for that. Finally he would do what he wished to do. He would remove the Big Five from their positions, sell the remaining weaponry and build a new empire.

Seto Kaiba's empire.

He walked slowly to the exit and looked up the skyscraper at the glinting in sunlight glasses. Then one window shattered, and another one. He only had that much time to dive beneath the safe roof of the garage, the next moment glass shard fell onto the ground. And two forms dropped. Not affected by gravity, seemingly at all. Seto stared. Marik and Yugi jumped down from tenth floor (or even higher) and landed not even flinching, crunching up, bending their knees. On straight feet. Somehow that reminded him of Underworld, a movie he watched. The vampiress jumped down from high building, on straight feet and continued walking not fazed by the jump. But they were not vampires. They didn't notice him and he stood, watching in awe, as bullets shot past them, embedding into the asphalt. But none hit. Their coats swished as they dodged the assault gracefully.

Impossible.

And then they ran off. And he was left standing. No wonder they were the est. They could jump from the tenth floor and dodge bullets. Almost invincible. But then again, they killed Gozaburo, and that fact alone brought his mind away from Yugi and Marik. He was back in his mind, thinking about plans.

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**End Prologue**

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**_08.08.04 – _**_Just a prologue… did it leave you in questions? I'm not revealing the plot, lol, if you want more, you can just review, and wait for the next chapter. _

_Yami Nocturna_


	2. I: Illusion

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_**01/06/06 - **I am positively astounded by myself. Another chapter in one day. It's really weird. Well not really. I have actually few logical choices of what to do when I am bored. 1 - look through all the photos, reorganize them, add watermarks, and update my deviant. 2 - finish an industrial song of mine (Mindless), the vocals to be exact and lead synth. 3 - learn physics for the upcoming exam (hmm... I'd rather not). 4 - clean up my room. 5 - watch DNAngel. 6 - write fanfics. Since, I already did number 1, I don't want to bother with number 2, and I don't want to remeber about number 3 till the 7th of June, and since for number four it's too late, and since I already watched number 5 for such a long time... I decided, why not update something. So there... Chapter 1 of Illusion. Ehhehehehe... Enjoy and comment

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**Chapter 1**

**I l l u s i o n

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_What the… there are four of them, but why does it keep bringing up that there are seven participants… oh well… they'll all die anyways…

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_Bound by this sorrowful light_

_Darkness torn to pieces as white wings grew_

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"Come on, Malik, we have to run," whispered Ryou as he helped his wounded friend up. Brown eyes searched around frantically. Soon, they would catch them and submit to that horrible torture. That's why… they had to keep running. It was their only chance. Too late now.

"Surrender now," spoke the calm voice. The face of their tormenter was in the shadows as always. But Ryou always wondered how someone so small could be their tormentor. But then again, he had no time to wonder.

"Never," spoke the soft boy. "I'd rather die and kill Malik myself, than let you lay your filthy hands on him," spoke Ryou Bakura. His long white hair white hair whipped in the wind, as it started to pick up around him. The speaker bit back a gasp.

"What, didn't expect at least one of us, realize what you created? You created an arsenal for your petty little wars, but I am going to be the weapon that shall destroy you," Ryou Bakura smiled and closed his eyes. Te wind picked up around Malik and Ryou. He herd through the howls of wind as their tormentor shouted at his soldiers to take them out. But they would find themselves in a nasty situation. He raised his hands and concentrated. He drew a circle in the air, and opened his eyes, which glinted silver by now.

"I am your death," he muttered.

Faintly he heard the screams of the soldiers he tore apart. Faintly he heard Malik's screams. The boy asked him to stop. But it didn't matter to Ryou. He was fulfilling his duty. His revenge on the world for making them suffer. And finally he stopped. There was no one left to murder. But… somehow… Mr. Tormenter had disappeared. And it bothered Ryou.

And then, someone pulled him at the shoulder, turned around and slapped. The stinging pain brought him back to reality. Malik was crying. No he was weeping. And it bothered Ryou. It bothered him so much, that he just hugged him.

"I'm sorry, Malik-kun, really, it's just that…" and he stopped. He just pulled Malik closer to him. He couldn't let him get hurt. "Come on, don't cry. They deserved it… but we have to go… he'll be back, I know it. We have to run away to safety… shhh…"

_I don't remember when I first met this quiet boy. He was so traumatized. At night he was screaming about someone killing his father. At night he was screaming, addressing his father not to submit him to the pharaoh. I don't know… but seeing him, brought me courage. Yes… I am a coward and a crybaby. But I couldn't help but try to protect him. I was there at the labs so much longer than Malik had been. I was number 27045-18. And I even addressed myself as such. But then they threw this little one into my cell. And he called me by my name. Ryou Bakura. It brought back fond memories of my sister, of my mother and my father. Long ago I was normal. Long ago he was normal._

_But that was so long ago… that I don't remember that time. The only time I remember is being in that laboratory. I remember all the injections, all the beatings. I was almost killed each day. But I was already dead. I had no will to live for._

_I have to thank the gods for bringing me Malik. I have to hate the gods for bringing Malik into this mess. But… it shouldn't matter now… we have gotten out and now I shall protect him. We shall leave to the place where e should be safe. Where they will not get us. The will be too afraid to enter the territory of the gods. The forest._

_After all… they made us into living embodiments of the free spirits, at least, that's what they told us. The designed us to fight the forest._

_I am Ryou Bakura. This is year 2502. Most of Earth has been destroyed after the WWIII (2007-2012). It had been a terrible war. Well… most of earth, well… most of Earth's civilizations were destroyed. I was fated to be born in the country that was once called Japan. Slowly the humans stood up back onto their feet, creating artificial shelters for themselves or restoring the way they lived before. In the 21st century planes could carry you to any part of the world, but now… everyone was confined to the continent thy lived on. Yes, some places, like Japan, USA, England have reached even a higher level of technological advancement. But we cannot leave the confines of our artificial homes by the means of technology. Everything even remotely electronic stops functioning outside the force fields that were erected somewhere in 2100. Some civilization… mainly the ones on Eurasian and African continent restored the way people lived before the Era of Christ. I don't know how much of it is true. But it is said, that Egyptian Empire rules Africa, Heaven Empire rules Asia, and a race of fair blue-eyed people rule the North of Europe, while the remaining native's of America rose up in an empire of their Snake God. Some dare even say that Atlantis has risen somewhere in Antarctica._

_I would have loved to be born with Malik somewhere in Africa, Europe of Asia, maybe even Central America of Antarctica. At least there I would have lived a normal life. You see the new order of the technological confines is harsh. People disappear. I disappeared once. And Malik did too. And now we were on the run from the civilization. Running away from Neo-Tokyo to the North of Japan. Our pursuer would never follow us to the deep woods._

_For that is where Mother Nature ruled. And they were her children._

A voice broke Ryou out of his musings.

"Ne… Ryou… do you even wonder, how people live over the seas…" asked Malik in a quiet vice, clinging to Ryou's arm, as the Wind Elemental was slashing through the heavy leaves that hindered their way.

"No… It wouldn't help to dream of the impossible… but we can live with the present," answered Ryou. Since when had he gained a backbone? He had no idea, but he was trying his best. Malik sighed and then spoke: "It wouldn't hurt to dream of the impossible," he said.

They moved and moved, till the night fell. That was when they sat down.

"I'm scared," muttered Malik.

"Me too…" replied Ryou truthfully looking up into the skies. Malik turned to look at him.

'_I wonder, what he hides under that mask,' _wondered the blonde. Malik followed Ryou gaze and a smile appeared on his face.

"You can't see the stars in Neo-Tokyo. Just the red shield that covers us…" he muttered, "it's so beautiful…I've never seen the Milky Way before." He sighed and fell backwards lying on the soft grass.

"I wish this moment could last forever…" he muttered. And so they stayed in silence. Ryou sat, his large white wings shielding both of them from the wind. Malik lay and watched the skies.

"Ne, Ryou-chan… I don't blame you for killing the soldiers… I was just so scared… that you'll die and leave me alone…"

Ryou turned to him and watched the younger male. Malik just kept watching the stars.

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Red eyes opened and stared into darkness. Something entered his realm. The darkness shifted and from liquid chaos arose a god. Black hair that was red at the tips, and streaked with blonde streamed past his shoulders. Heavy necklace adorned his shoulders. A simple knee-length skirt covered his legs. Heavy bracelets covered his wrists and ankles. He stood up and gathered an item from the waters of chaos. An inverted pyramid. He moved then the light. The exit. He had guests.

It was so long since last someone visited his home. No one dared to come near the son of chaos… but then again, there were those who sought out his power. He punished those fools. And played with those who were just visiting. And the pyramid, she told him that the guest was an interesting one. Power-hungry, but yet the guest had no need for his power.

The god Atemu stepped through halls, jumping from one hallway to another, walking through the walls, until he finally found the guest. Long spiky white hair and captivating lavender eyes. His skin was so pale… such a contrast against Atemu's own bronze skin, decided the god once he held the intruder in his hands, running one hand through his hair, while the other held the face of his guest.

"Who the hell do you think you are!" snapped the man, trying desperately to get away. Little did he know, that his power was no match for the power of a god.

"I am… Atemu, little one," spoke the ancient god, as he found himself admiring the perfect creature in front of him.

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**End Chapter 1  
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**_01/06/06_ **- _Praise the lady of chaos and misconceptions... praise me... oi... I think I should go for a smoke... my brain is starting to jump._


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